Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 9 Look down on me?

Xie Tingyun smiled, secretly praising him, and said gently, "There are indeed some hidden details in this matter, involving a divine artifact, which is not mentioned in the case file. Since you asked, I will tell you. Have you ever heard of 'Divine Mechanism'?"

Lu Chenyuan said, "It is said to be a kind of mechanical art."

"Yes."

Xie Tingyun said, "Divine Mechanism is the ultimate in mechanical arts. The Mohists and Gongshu of the pre-Qin period spent three years building a wooden flying kite that took off and remained in the sky for a hundred days. There was also Zhuge Liang who created the wooden ox and flowing horse that could carry heavy loads of ten thousand catties and cross mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground. These are all examples of Divine Mechanism."

The highest level of divine craftsmanship is the art of making wooden figures, also known as the art of puppetry. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, a puppeteer presented a puppeteer who could sing and dance, and whose every frown and smile resembled a real person. King Mu praised this art as surpassing the creation of heaven and earth, and thus the art of divine craftsmanship and puppetry got its name.

The [Yuanrong Divine Crossbow] is the culmination of divine mechanical skills. Its unparalleled power is secondary; its most terrifying aspect is that it is itself a component of a 'mechanical puppet' capable of transforming into any shape. Ashina Yan severed her right arm, using this crossbow to create her right hand, thus deceiving the female officials. Wei Yao is guilty of negligence, and even if there are extenuating circumstances, she must still be punished according to the law.

"I see... I understand now."

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Second question, since Ashina Yan has already failed and her own strength is insufficient to cause trouble, retreating is the best course of action. Why are you all so certain that she has not left the capital? It seems that the four gates of the capital have not been closed these past few days."

"very good……"

Xie Tingyun's smile deepened, his expression softened, and he simply praised her.

Pei Mingqian, on the other hand, was the opposite. The more Lu Chenyuan asked, the more incisive his questions became, and the uglier Pei Mingqian's expression became. Especially when he himself did not realize some of the problems, his previous doubts seemed to turn into invisible slaps on his face.

"Because the Imperial Advisor intervened."

Xie Tingyun spoke with longing, saying, "The Imperial Preceptor Ye Fashan and Pei Xuandu are two national sages of our Great Zhou, both transcendent beings at the sixth realm. Ye Fashan has set up the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array, using the divine artifact [Hun Tian Yi] to lock onto the capital, accurately locating anyone using shamanic magic; Pei Xuandu has activated the 'Palm-Sized Buddha Kingdom' array, preventing anyone cultivating witchcraft internal energy from passing through its four gates. For the past ten days, neither artifact has shown any unusual activity, proving she is still in the capital, and..."

Xie Tingyun changed the subject and shook his head: "This morning, the case made a breakthrough. Not only did this Ashina Yan not leave, but he also attempted to plot a great treasure in the city. He is a prime example of overestimating his own abilities... In short, the most urgent task now is to catch this little rat. Don't worry, the Three Tribulations Divine Arrow is incredibly powerful, but it is also extremely difficult to make. The technology has been lost to time. With the current technology of the Turks, it is impossible to make. Only three of these arrows exist in the world. The third one was used to assassinate the emperor. If we use ordinary arrows, the power will be less than one-tenth of what it used to be. So there is no need to worry about facing it."

Lu Chenyuan nodded.

Xie Tingyun took the case file, turned to a certain page, and handed it to the two: "There are seven remaining fugitives. Besides Ashina Yan, there is also a dancer who escaped from the palace. The remaining five were accompanying the delegation and were waiting outside, but they have also disappeared. Lu Bailing recently joined and has no subordinates, so he will temporarily travel with Lord Pei. You two should start by investigating that dancer."

"Yes."

Lu Chenyuan's goal is to increase his favorability, merit points, skill books, and divine weapons.

As long as it doesn't interfere with his plans, it doesn't matter who he acts with.

Pei Mingqian had anticipated Xie Tingyun's order to stay, and when he actually heard it, his expression darkened even more. In his view, Lu Chenyuan was taking advantage of the princess's favor and trying to steal the credit. He wanted to do all the work himself and get all the credit! But since things had come to this, he could only keep quiet. After all, Lu Chenyuan was the princess's lover. He muttered, "Your subordinate obeys."

The two walked out of Qiwu Palace.

Pei Mingqian's men were already fully armed and waiting outside the door.

Bai Ling has two seventh-rank Lingmu under his command. Each Lingmu oversees five fire chiefs, and each fire chief has ten Baiyi under his command. The duty officers are of the same rank as the fire chiefs, only their duties and names are different.

"grown ups!"

The two officers rushed forward as he left the hall. One of them, a burly man with a square face, said eagerly, “Lord Guo and the others have already left. We need to hurry too. The brothers are all ready. Where should we start our investigation? Just say the word, sir!”

Pei Mingqian gestured expressionlessly, saying, "This is Lord Lu Chenyuan, who will be joining us."

moment!

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them; everyone wilted.

The salaries of the Imperial Guards are not high; they rely on the illicit gains they acquire from missions, such as raiding homes and catching thieves. The hidden income from these activities is incredibly high, which is how they can afford the training expenses of martial artists. Now that a male favorite has suddenly interfered, they immediately understand that he has come to steal their credit and money!
Everyone's face darkened.

The square-faced, burly man was clearly no pushover. He glanced at Lu Chenyuan and said with a forced smile, "I've heard of Lord Lu's reputation. This morning you even crippled Xu He, a third-realm expert under the Prince Consort's command. Your combat strength is certainly impressive. But catching thieves isn't just about brute force. I heard that Lord Lu has only ever done guard duty? Oh, I almost forgot, you also have male concubines~"

"Hahahaha!"

The crowd burst into loud laughter.

Even passersby couldn't help but smile. People hate getting something for nothing, especially when the one getting something for nothing, with both wealth and beauty, isn't themselves.

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pei Mingqian, who remained expressionless.

well.

If you don't appreciate my generosity, then don't blame me.

Lu Chenyuan's expression changed. In that instant, his eyebrows rose, and an arrogant aura suddenly surged forth, his killing intent chilling. Everyone noticed the change in his aura, and their laughter immediately stopped. Fearing that he would suddenly attack, they quickly grabbed their weapons to protect themselves.

"People of the bright side don't speak secretly."

Lu Chenyuan said lazily, "I know the root cause of your hostility towards me. It is common practice for superiors to be parachuted in. Before they are familiar with the procedures, they need to be mentored by senior officers. I guess you wouldn't have been as presumptuous as you are today before, but why are you so hostile towards me? Especially this Lord Pei Mingqian, this is the second time, isn't it? Isn't your face swollen yet?"

"Lu Chenyuan!"

Pei Mingqian's face flushed red, and he pointed angrily, saying, "Don't judge a gentleman by your own petty standards!"

"Heh, a gentleman? I understand!"

Lu Chenyuan sneered twice and mocked, "Saying one thing and meaning another is a common problem among gentlemen like you. After all, even lust has to be packaged as 'a beautiful lady, sought after by a gentleman'!"

"you……"

Pei Mingqian's expression grew increasingly grim, and he was about to retort.

Lu Chenyuan was too lazy to listen to his rambling and said directly, "Let me be frank, you look down on me simply because you're jealous, but what do you have to be jealous of? What right do you have to look down on me?!"

Lu Chenyuan's gaze was disdainful, and his words were righteous and indignant.

These words silenced the entire area in front of Qiwu Hall for a moment.

Everyone looked at Lu Chenyuan in astonishment. In this day and age, how could someone be so brazen as to be a gigolo? Where is your shame?

Lu Chenyuan said coldly, "The Qiang people are lenient with themselves but judge others by their own standards, each harboring jealousy in their hearts. You are jealous because you feel indignant! You feel indignant because Her Highness the Princess has treated me well! But why don't you take a piss and look at yourselves in the mirror? You should spend more time learning disguise techniques, so you don't scare others when you come out!"
Her Highness is breathtakingly beautiful, like a full moon in the night sky, pure and flawless—who wouldn't love her? But you all have the desire but not the courage, you're ugly, and ugly people are always causing trouble! I have the desire and the courage, I'm dashing and debonair, and I've succeeded! You look down on me? I look down on you even more!
With your narrow-mindedness and cowardice, you'll only hold me back. I'd better make my own way in the world. Please tell Lord Xie that dragons don't associate with snakes, and tigers don't walk with dogs! I, Lu, will take my leave first!

Having said that, he strode off the platform without looking back.

The area in front of Qiwu Hall was deathly silent.

Not only were Pei Mingqian and his group furious and their faces ashen, but even the onlookers' faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"How utterly shameless! Absolutely shameless! The most shameless of all!!"

"He actually called us ugly and called us dogs?!"

"Such humiliation of the Imperial Guards is outrageous!"

"How dare you! How incredibly bold!"

"Let's go and seek justice from His Highness!"

A cacophony of shouts erupted in front of the hall, everyone filled with righteous indignation.

Inside the hall, Xie Tingyun's expression was strange. He then burst out laughing: "Hahaha, Your Highness is stunningly beautiful, like a full moon in the night sky, pure and flawless. Who wouldn't love you... Interesting. If these words reach the princess's ears, she definitely won't be angry anymore. Should we give this kid a hand?"

Xie Tingyun crossed her arms and smiled.

She said she was considering it, but only for a moment. Then she stroked the ring on her right index finger, brought it to her lips, and smiled, "Your Highness, there's something interesting..."

(End of this chapter)